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FCS Playoff Picture

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The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats are MEAC Champions for the second time in three years.  But unlike 2010 when the Wildcats joined South Carolina State and Florida A&M as league co-champions, the 2012 crown will not be shared.  This year’s Championship is the Cats’ first outright title since 2002.

BCU now owns 5 MEAC crowns and 11 conference championships all-time. (The Wildcats won 6 SIAC titles before joining the MEAC in 1979.) 

Possible 1st round matchups

Here is what we know: the Wildcats are headed to the 2012 FCS playoffs; and Bethune-Cookman has submitted a bid to host a first round game.  Who BCU faces and whether or not the Cats will be awarded a home game are still anyone’s guess.  The mystery will be revealed next Sunday morning when the field of 20 is announced.  We should probably refrain from speculating on who the Wildcats will face and just allow things the sort themselves out but that would be no fun. 

So let’s take a look at the most probable first round matchups based on what we know today.

Keep in mind that 12 playoff bound teams receive a first round bye; the FCS playoff committee ranks the top 5 seeds; and  teams are matched based on things such as geographic proximity.  With that in mind, the Cats are not expected to receive a first round bye and will very likely face one of the following teams in the opening round.

Wofford (Spartanburg, SC) is looking like a very probable matchup for BCU.  The Terriers, along with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, are co-champions of the Southern Conference.  All three teams appear to be locks to make the field of 20.  In fact, Appalachian State (Boone, NC) could also be a potential first round foe.  The Wildcats will certainly have to hit the road if matched against App State as the Mountaineers almost always host their first game of the playoffs.

Coastal Carolina (Conway, SC) will likely end the season tied for first place in the Big South with Liberty and Stony Brook.  The Chanticleers will receive the conference’s automatic bid if the three teams finish the season tied for first.  Interestingly, Coastal and Bethune played one common opponent this year (North Carolina A&T) and the margin of victory was the same for both (+16 points).

Stony Brook entered the weekend ranked 6th in the Sports Network FCS poll but suffered a defeat to conference foe Liberty.  If (and that’s a big if) Stony Brook receives an at-large berth, they could very well be matched against BCU in the first round.

This week’s Tennessee State/UT-Martin (Ohio Valley) matchup is an unofficial playoff game for both teams.  The loser is definitely out of the mix.   The winner, however, could secure one of the final at-large slots and may be pitted against the Wildcats on Thanksgiving weekend.

Colonial Athletic teams James Madison, Towson, Villanova, and Richmond are all sitting on the proverbial playoff bubble and either of whom could be matched against Brian Jenkins’ squad in the opening round. 

Thank goodness we will not have to speculate much longer.  Post season play begins in less than two weeks but first things first.

The Wildcats tangle with arch-rival FAMU in Saturday’s Florida Blue Florida Classic in Orlando.  BCU will look to complete their first ever undefeated MEAC season in the regular season finale.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Week 11 MEAC Review

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MEAC SATURDAY FOOTBALL WEEKENDER
Bethune-Cookman clinches MEAC title; Rattlers edge NCCU under new coach; Delaware State, Norfolk, A&T all win Saturday 

Alvin Hollins Jr.

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Rockstat7376@aol.com

NOVEMBER 10 – The Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats won their second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title in three years Saturday, with a crushing road victory at Savannah State, dashing the remaining co-championship hopes of several teams.

The Wildcats (7-0, 8-2) locked up the title with a 49-7 win at Savannah State (0-7, 1-9), leaving them just one game shy of a perfect conference record. B-CU has also punched its’ ticket to the NCAA Division FCS playoffs.

Meanwhile, Florida A&M (4-3, 4-6) scored late to edge visiting North Carolina Central (5-2, 6-4), 22-21, winning their first game under interim head coach Earl “Hitman” Holmes at Homecoming in Bragg Stadium.

In other conference action Saturday, Delaware State (5-2, 6-4) pulled into a three-way tie for second with NCCU and Howard University, with a 35-27 win over visiting Hampton (2-5, 2-7) at Dover, Delaware; North Carolina A&T (4-3, 6-4) rallied past visiting South Carolina State (3-4, 4-6), 17-7 at Greensboro, N.C.; Norfolk State (2-6, 4-7) finished their disappointing season after winning the 2011 MEAC title, with a 30-0 whitewash of visiting Morgan State (2-5, 3-7), at Norfolk, Va.

In the lone non-conference affair Saturday, Howard University (5-2, 6-4) was bashed by nationally-ranked Georgia Southern (8-2), 69-26 at Statesboro, Ga.

The New Pecking Order…
Bethune-Cookman (7-0) has locked up the conference title and the automatic NCAA Division I FCS playoff bid…. The race will now be for second as North Carolina Central (5-2), Howard (5-2), and Delaware State (5-2) will go down to next weekend to determine which two of them will finish behind B-CU…

Next Weekend’s Schedule
The final Saturday of the regular season is pretty much Rivalry Weekend, highlighted by Bethune-Cookman against Florida A&M in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Florida Classic in Orlando, to be nationally televised on ESPN Classic at 2:30 p.m.

The remainder of the schedule features Hampton at Morgan State (1:00); Delaware State at Howard (1:00); Savannah State at South Carolina State (1:30); and North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central (2:00).

MEAC Random Shots
@ Bethune-Cookman (7-0) hopes to complete a perfect conference season next week against rival FAMU, which spoiled their hopes of a perfect season in 2010….

@ Two of three teams will finish second behind Bethune-Cookman: Delaware State, Howard and North Carolina Central (5-2)… DelState visits Howard, while NCCU hosts Triad rival North Carolina A&T in the Aggie-Eagle Classic.

@ Wins by Delaware State and North Carolina A&T Saturday clinched winning seasons for both squads, allowing them to join Howard and North Carolina Central in the club of teams who finished under .500 overall a year ago.

@ Bethune-Cookman, along with the quartet of DSU, Howard, A&T and NCCU officially flipped the script in the MEAC, as all five teams are led by coaches in their second or third years, while veteran-led programs like FAMU, Hampton, South Carolina State, Morgan State and Norfolk State suffered a reversal of fortune in 2012.

@ Florida A&M (4-3, 4-6) won its’ first game under interim head coach Earl Holmes, one of the school’s all-time great linebackers, and formerly the defensive coordinator… Holmes was tabbed to replace the 30-year head coaching veteran Joe Taylor on Wednesday of this week, after Taylor was placed on administrative leave… Taylor will still retire following the season with 233 career victories…

MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Thru Saturday, November 10, 2012
School ……………………….. Conference / Overall
Bethune-Cookman ………………… 7-0 1.000 / 8-2 .800
Delaware State ………..……………. 5-2 .714 / 6-4 .600
Howard University …….…………… 5-2 .714 / 6-4 .600
North Carolina Central …….……. 5-2 .714 / 6-4 .600
^North Carolina A&T ………..…… 4-3 .571 / 6-4 .600
Florida A&M ………..………………… 4-3 .571 / 4-6 .400
South Carolina State .…….……… 3-4 .428 / 4-6 .400
Morgan State ………………………… 2-5 .285 / 3-7 .300
^Hampton …………………………….. 2-5 .285 / 2-7 .222
Norfolk State ………………………… 2-6 .250 / 4-7 .363
Savannah State ………..…………… 0-7 .000 / 1-9 .100
^-Ineligible for 2012 title

Saturday’s Scoreboard
*Delaware State 35, Hampton 27
*Norfolk State 30, Morgan State 0
*North Carolina A&T 17, South Carolina State 7
#Georgia Southern 69, Howard 26
*Florida A&M 22, North Carolina Central 21
*Bethune-Cookman 49, Savannah State 7
(*)-Conference Games

Next Week’s Schedule
*Hampton at Morgan State, 1:00
*Delaware State at Howard, 1:00
*Savannah State at South Carolina State, 1:30
*North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central, 2:00
*Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M (Orlando), 2:30 (ESPN Classic)
(*)-Conference Games

BCU 2012 MEAC Champs

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SAVANNAH, Ga. — Quentin Williams threw two touchdown passes and ran for 121 of Bethune-Cookman’s 377 rushing yards as the Wildcats beat Savannah State 49-7 Saturday in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game.

BCU’s win coupled with North Carolina Central’s 22-21 loss to Florida A&M sealed the 2012 MEAC Championship for the Wildcats. Congratulations to the 2012 Wildcats for securing Bethune-Cookman’s 2nd MEAC title in 3 years and the Cat’s first outright title since 2002. 

Williams completed 9 of 12 passes for 103 yards and threw touchdown passes of 11 and 36 yards. His second touchdown, a strike to David Blackwell, gave Bethune-Cookman a 35-0 halftime lead.

Isidore Jackson finished with 100 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries for Bethune-Cookman (8-2, 7-0).  Jackson is needs just 82 yards to reach 1,000 rushing on the season.  Rodney Scott posted 51 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and Brodrick Waters tallied 47 yards on six carries.

Savannah State (1-9, 0-7) got on the board midway through the third quarter when Cornel Weston recovered a fumble in the end zone. But Waters scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to create the final margin.

Bethune-Cookman smothered Savannah State quarterback Antonio Bostick all game, forcing three interceptions and recording four sacks.

BCU/ Savannah State Preview

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Savannah-It’s been almost four weeks since Savannah State coach Steve Davenport suspended eight players. Only one has returned to the roster.  But since the date of the suspensions, whether a coincidence or not, the Tigers have been playing their best football.

Savannah State gets another chance to test its recent improvement when it meets Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference-leading Bethune-Cookman at T.A. Wright Stadium today at 5 p.m.

It’s the last home game of the season for the Tigers. SSU (1-8, 0-6 MEAC) will finish the season on the road in Orangeburg, S.C., against South Carolina State on Nov. 17.

Bethune-Cookman (7-2, 6-0 MEAC), ranked 22nd in the FCS Coaches top 25 poll, can clinch the MEAC’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs with a win today.

Davenport would like to see the day when the Tigers are in a similar position as the Wildcats, but right now he had to clear up some fundamental issues.

“I think we all had to take a step back and recognize this (SSU football program) is something to be respected,” Davenport said. “It’s a blessing for me to be the head coach, for my staff to be coaches here and the players to be players here.”

Read more: http://savannahnow.com/sports/2012-11-09/savannah-state-football-team-hoping-end-home-slate-positive-note

Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. 

Web Stream: Savannah State ($6) | Radio: CatEye Network on WELE 1380: Listen Online

Joe Taylor resigns immediately

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Florida A&M head coach Joe Taylor has coached his final game for the Rattlers.  Taylor originally announced he would retire at the end of the season, but after meeting with FAMU athletic director Derek Horne on Wednesday, the legendary head coach decided to retire from the coaching ranks effective immediately.

Former FAMU standout and current defensive coordinator, Earl Homes, will serve as the interim head coach when the Rattlers face North Carolina Central for homecoming this week and in next week’s end of the season showdown against Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Classic.

Joe Taylor’s 233 career wins ranks him third all-time amongst HBCU coaches.  His .648 winning percentage during his FAMU tenure ranks him ahead of noteworthy FAMU coaches Rudy Hubbard (.630) and Ken Riley (.561); and virtually ties him with Billy Joe (.651).   Under his leadership, FAMU shared the 2010 MEAC conference crown with Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State; the Rattlers received recognition in 2009 for having the MEAC’s most significant APR improvement; the football program was stabilized after coming off of NCAA probation; and ESPN College Gameday broadcasted their first ever telecast from an HBCU campus.

Despite his on the field and off the field accomplishments in Tallahassee, Taylor never seemed to live up to the expectations of the Rattler faithful.  Taylor is 0-5 against FAMU’s historical rivals Howard, Southern, Tennessee State, and Bethune-Cookman since the middle of last season.  

I have no insight on the inner-workings of the FAMU athletic department, nor am I suggesting that coach Taylor was the best man to advance FAMU football.  Having said that, Joe Taylor is by all accounts a genuinely great man and he is a legendary HBCU football coach.  He earned the right to receive a more dignified ending to his illustrious career.  Unfortunately for him, he was not giving the honor to bow out gracefully.

Godspeed Coach Taylor.  Thank you for your contribution to HBCU football and for shaping the lives of hundreds of young men.

Wildcats Coach Jenkins Reprimanded for Unsportsmanlike Conduct – MEACsports.com – The Official Site of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

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NORFOLK, Virginia – Bethune-Cookman head football coach Brian Jenkins has been formally reprimanded by Commissioner Dennis Thomas for displaying unsportsmanlike conduct during the Wildcats football game against Morgan State on Saturday, November 3.

Commissioner Thomas said in a statement on Monday that “the conference expects all student-athletes, coaches, and athletic staff to demonstrate good sportsmanship before, during and after all athletic events.”

In addition to the reprimand, Coach Jenkins will be fined an undisclosed amount.  No additional penalties will be issued on this matter.

Cats hold on for a 24-13 win over Morgan State

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Baltimore–Bethune-Cookman survived the cold weather and a feisty Morgan State squad to improve to 6-0 in MEAC play.

BCU’s defense limited the Bears to 197 yards of total offense and held the conference’s leading rusher, Travis Davidson, to 46 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

MSU opened the game’s scoring on a 1 play, 4 yard touchdown drive 6 minutes into the contest.  The drive started after Quentin Williams was stripped from behind and fumbled inside the Wildcat s 5 yard line.

The Wildcats responded with a 13 play, 71 yard drive that ended with a 24 yard Sven Hurd field goal. 

BCU took their first lead of the game (10-7) when Quentin Williams hit Eddie Poole in the back of the endzone for a 5 yard TD reception.  The Cats did not have to travel far for the go-ahead score.  Dawud Lane intercepted a Robert Council pass and returned it to the Bear’s 8-yard line.  Williams hit Poole 5 plays later for the score.  Lane’s interception extended BCU’s consecutive game with an interception streak to 16.

On Morgan State’s next possession, BCU defensive back Dion Hanks was ejected for striking a Morgan State player.  Coach Brian Jenkins vehemently disagreed with the official’s ruling, received 2 consecutive unsportsmanlike penalties for excessively protesting and was subsequently ejected from the game himself.

The NCAA does not officially track ejections, but NCAA representatives said Jenkins could be the first head football coach ever ejected from a college football game.

Morgan State tied the contest at 10-10 on a 32 yard Earvin Gonzalez field goal just before halftime.

The Wildcats took advantage of a Morgan State special teams miscue to begin the second half.  MSU fumbled the 3rd quarter kickoff and 5 plays later, quarterback Brock Waters scored on a 6 yard TD run to give the Wildcats a 17-10 lead.

Gonzalez kicked his 2nd field goal of the contest, this time a 38 yarder, which cut the BCU lead to 17-13 early in the 4th quarter.  However, the Bears could get no closer. 

Junior running back Isidore Jackson, who finished the contest with 111 yards rushing on 19 attempts, quelled any lingering thoughts of a Morgan State upset when he raced 19 yards for the game’s final score with just over 2:00 left in the contest. 

Dawud Lane led the BCU defense with 6 tackles, an interception, and a blocked field goal. 

The Wildcats travel to Savannah, Georgia next week to take on Savannah State Tigers.  Kickoff is scheduled for  5:00 p.m.

BCU set to take on Morgan State

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Bethune-Cookman will put their 10 game conference win streak on the line when they face Morgan State in Baltimore on Saturday.  The Wildcats are in sole-possession of first place in the MEAC and they boast the league’s top offense (380.5 yards per game).  BCU is playing their best football of the season and have won their last three games by a combined score of 118-32.

Morgan State will be looking to play the role of spoiler and seeking to salvage what’s left of a hard-luck season.  MSU’s 3 conference losses this year are by a total of 10 points.  Senior running back Travis Davidson is the conference’s top rusher (805 yards, 11 TDs).  Davidson gained 138 yards rushing on 17 carries in last year’s contest against BCU.  Tyrone Hendrix is a gifted wide receiver and return man and both Robert Council and Seth Higgins are capable signal callers. 

Defensively, MSU has struggled this year.  The Bears are giving up a whopping 440 yards per game. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m..  The game can be viewed live at: http://t.co/oU3bXAXc; or you can listen to the coverage at http://goliathradio.com/.

What we learned from BCU’s Week 9 victory over NCCU

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Courtesy of BCU Athletics

1.  BCU can run the ball

This past Saturday’s matchup pitted Bethune-Cookman’s #1 ranked rushing offense, against North Carolina Central’s #1 ranked rushing defense.  In the end, the Wildcats simply overwhelmed the Eagles on the ground rushing for 274 yards and 5 touchdowns.

On BCU’s 1st drive of the second half, the Wildcats drove the ball 63 yards on 5 plays to pull ahead 21-17.  All 5 plays were runs.  That drive shifted momentum and highlighted BCU’s physicality advantage over the Eagles.  The Cats seized control of the game at that point and never looked back.  Junior running back Isidore Jackson carried the ball 14 times for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns in the contest.  The performance was good enough to earn Jackson College Football Performance Awards National Running Back of the Week recognition.  Speaking of Jackson, we learned that …

2.  Ike is fast enough

During BCU’s preseason media day event, Jackson stated that he had decent but not great speed.  However, Jackson’s speed was good enough to help him record the 4th longest touchdown run in BCU history.  Jackson took a pitch off the left side of the line, broke a tackle, made a few guys miss, and raced 93 yards to give BCU a 28-17 lead.

3.  Marching Wildcats do yo’ thang

In the last three home games, The Pride’s halftime ballads were: ‘In my Bed’ – Dru Hill; ‘If I Had My Way’ – Chrisette Michelle; and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – The O’Jays.  All three pieces were simply amazing.  The band could have scrambled on to the field, played those ballads and walked off and I would have been perfectly fine with their performance.  They really did sound that good.  Hail Wildcats and Hail Pride! 

(Okay, now back to football.)

4.  Coach Jenkins really does have a rotating quarterback system

Heading into last week’s game, it seemed that Quentin Williams had gained sole ownership of the starting quarterback position.  Williams started the three prior games during which he threw 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and completed nearly 70% of his passes. 

Coach Jenkins stated that Quentin did not take care of some of his responsibilities off the field and that Brodrick Waters had a better week of practice on the field.  As a result, it was Waters who started the contest for BCU.  Waters led BCU on their first scoring drive and rushed for 53 yards on the afternoon. 

Although not the starter, Williams saw significant action during Saturday’s game.  Included in Williams’ highlights was a 76 yard touchdown pass thrown to Preston Cleckley in the 2nd quarter.

Courtesy of BCU Athletics

5.  De-fense, De-fense

Here is a number for you; “9”.  That’s the number of snaps, NCCU took inside the BCU 10 yard line on their first possession of the second half.  The Eagles got the ball as close as the 1 yard line, but an illegal procedure penalty backed NCCU up to the 6 yard line. 

A Bethune-Cookman player said ‘Hut,’ and that’s why we jumped offside,” Frazier said. “It wasn’t our quarterback, I’ll just say that”.  BCU safety, D.J. Howard, and linebacker, Dawud Lane, claimed ignorance to the coaches claim during postgame interviews.

The Wildcats limited the Eagles to a field goal on that possession and those would be Central’s last points of the contest.  BCU’s defense has now surrendered 7, 0, 0, 16, 3, 0, and 3 points in the second half of games against FCS opponents this season.  That equates to 4.1 points per game in the second half.  Not bad…not bad at all!

BCU ranked in FCS Coaches Poll Top 25

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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Previously unranked Bethune-Cookman (No.24)  entered this week’s Top 25 Coaches Poll after picking up a win over North Carolina Central on Saturday.   

Georgia Southern moved to No. 1  this week after claiming a 39-31 triple-overtime win at Chattanooga Saturday.  The Eagles received 17 first-place votes and tallied 635 total points.

Georgia Southern forced overtime with a fourth-quarter field goal and the Eagles’ defense came up with a stop on fourth-down in the third overtime to hold off Chattanooga.

North Dakota State received five first-place votes (619 points) and rose one spot to No.2 after defeating Southern Illinois, 23-17. Montana State and Sam Houston State each climbed one spot to No.3 and No.4, respectively, as well. Sam Houston State also received two first-place votes. Old Dominion moved up two spots to No.5, while Lehigh, which was idle last week, received one first-place vote and maintained their No.6 ranking.

Wofford rose one spot to No.7 after defeating The Citadel (24-21).  Last week’s No.1, Eastern Washington, dropped to No.8 after falling to unranked Southern Utah. Stony Brook (No.9) and James Madison (No.10) maintain their rankings from last week and round out the top ten.

Eleven conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most teams in the top-25 with five. The Big Sky and Missouri Valley are represented by four teams each, while the Southern Conference has three teams in this week’s poll. The Ohio Valley and Southland conferences are represented by two teams, and the Big South, Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast, and Patriot League have one team in the top-25.

The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.

Week Nine Poll – October 29, 2012

Team (No. 1 Votes) 2012 Record Points Previous Ranking
1. Georgia Southern (17) 7-1 635 2
2. North Dakota State (5) 7-1 619 3
3. Montana State 7-1 586 4
4. Sam Houston State (2) 6-2 561 5
5. Old Dominion 7-1 528 7
6. Lehigh (1) 8-0 517 6
7. Wofford 7-1 486 8
8. Eastern Washington (1) 6-2 471 1
9. Stony Brook 8-1 450 9
10. James Madison 6-2 429 10
11. New Hampshire 7-2 396 12
12. Northern Arizona 7-1 363 13
13. Central Arkansas 7-2 326 14
14. Appalachian State 6-3 275 15
15. Illinois State 7-2 264 17
16. Cal Poly 7-1 256 11
17. Indiana State 7-2 249 T-18
18. Albany 7-1 188 20
19. Tennessee State 8-1 173 T-21
20. Delaware 5-3 122 16
21. Harvard 6-1 96 24
22. Towson 4-4 87 25
23. Eastern Kentucky 6-3 68 T-18
24. Bethune-Cookman 6-2 54 NR
25. South Dakota State 6-2 51 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Sacramento State (44), Richmond (27), Villanova (27), UT Martin (26), McNeese State (23), Jacksonville State (16), Youngstown State (10), Eastern Illinois (8), The Citadel (5), Samford (5), Southern Illinois (4), Northern Iowa (4), Alabama A&M (1).